Germany

Navigation

Berlin Travel Guide

Berlin Travel Guide

For many, Berlin is the epitome of all that is great
in German culture and this captivating city, a treasure trove of
cultural attractions, is also at the heart of the global interest
in Germany's turbulent history:

Historically, Berlin is one of the most fascinating cities in
the world and many people travel here primarily because they are
curious about the dark mystique of the capital under Hitler, and
the legacy of the Berlin Wall, which featured so prominently in the
Cold War imagination. The city has been resurrected as an
interesting, vibrant, cosmopolitan place, and has rapidly regained
its pre-war reputation for being a party city. A holiday in Berlin
is for the sophisticated fun-lover and there are attractions enough
to provide fodder even for the most voracious of culture vultures.
Visitors can pass through historic sites like the famous Checkpoint Charlie, take a tour around the
iconic Reichstag, or marvel at the
splendours of the Charlottenburg
Palace, with its impressive collections of art and beautiful
gardens.

Berlin's famous cabarets and nightclubs are in full swing, and
its opera and concert venues seldom miss a note; the nightlife in this special
city will not disappoint. There are also plenty of shopping opportunities in the
many great retail streets and malls, and foodies will be similarly
delighted by the selection of quality restaurants in Berlin.

Best time to visit Berlin

Berlin is famed for its long, sunny summers (June to late
August) so this is the best time for a Berlin holiday, when outdoor
cafes in the parks and gardens (especially the Tiergarten) come
alive with events. However, Berlin's cultural delights, like
museums and galleries, make it a year-round destination. Even in
winter, often the least popular season to travel in Europe, the
Berlin Christmas Markets and New Years celebrations make it a
rewarding time to visit. Read more on Berlin's Climate and
Weather.

What to see in Berlin

-Visit the Allied Museum for an
eye-full of interesting war memorabilia.

-Wander along the Berlin Wall's Eastside Gallery admiring the colourful art
created in the name of freedom and brotherhood.

Beyond Berlin

Berlin is a great base from which to explore northern and
central Germany and in the unlikely event that visitors exhaust the
attractions of the city they can make use of Berlin's status as an
efficient transport hub to travel further afield. The city of
Dresden, which suffered terrible destruction during the war, is one
of the most popular destinations in Germany and is within easy
reach from the capital. Hamburg is also one of the biggest
draws to Germany and attracts millions of visitors every year. A
little further north is the picturesque town of Lubeck with its remarkable 13th-century
architecture. Coastal gems like Sylt
also make for fun excursions.

Getting there

There are flights to Germany from cities all over the world and
the most popular airport is Berlin-Tegel Airport, situated a
convenient five miles (8km) northwest of the centre of Berlin.
Another option is to fly into Berlin Schönefeld Airport, which
is situated in the area of the city previously designated as East
Berlin, and is 11 miles (18km) southeast of the city centre. Berlin
Schönefeld is often cheaper and a good alternative for budget
travellers. Get more information on Airport's in Berlin.

Did you know?

-Berlin is the most multi-cultural city in Germany.

-Berlin has about 1,700 bridges, more even than Venice.

-The first set of traffic lights in Europe went up in Potsdamer
Platz.

For most of the latter part of the 20th century, Berlin has
stood as a symbol of the division between East and West, split by
the infamous fortified wall erected to separate the socialist
sector from the democratic district. When the Berlin Wall was
pulled down in 1990 the city discovered that it suddenly had two of
everything, most notably two very distinct societies separated both
socially and economically. The past decades have seen Berlin
embracing unification and rebuilding itself as a modern European
capital.

More than 100 streets have been reconnected, and signs of the
Wall's existence have all but disappeared. Years of division are
still reflected in the new city's architecture, however, with a
modern city of skyscrapers, retail centres and urban developments
in the West contrasting with most of the pre-war city that remains
in the East. For nearly 30 years the Wall sealed off the imposing
Brandenburg Gate from the West, but now traffic passes through it
freely. Similarly, Alexanderplatz, which was one of the main
centres of 1920s Berlin, and later post-war East Germany, has once
again become one of the city's focal centres. The site of the
infamous Check Point Charlie, with its threatening monitoring tower
erected to ensure no one crossed over from East to West, is now a
museum, and while the tower no longer stands, visitors can see the
East Side Gallery, a surviving chunk of the real Wall, now
decorated by street artists.

Berlin is once again a vibrant centre for the arts, with many
museums, galleries and theatres. At the Kulturforum visitors will
find a number of impressive museums and concert venues from the
spectacular Berliner Philharmonie concert hall to the complex's
Picture Gallery, which houses a vast collection of European
paintings from the 13th to 18th centuries. Berlin also boasts a
fantastic nightlife, and while tastes have changed since the height
of the cabaret halls of the 1920s and 30s, there is a vast array of
venues catering to all sorts. Berlin's calendar is also packed with
festivals and parties, from the Christopher Street Day gay and
lesbian parade in June to Jazz Fest Berlin in November. All this
contributes to an ever-evolving city that makes a holiday in Berlin
an exciting and attractive prospect.

Become our Berlin Travel Expert

We are looking for contributors for our Berlin travel guide.
If you are a local, a regular traveller to Berlin
or a travel professional with time to contribute and answer occasional forum questions, please contact us.